Officers try to save driver trapped in sinking vehicle

BOYNTON BEACH Six Boynton Beach police officers dove into dirty water Saturday night to desperately try to save a woman who was trapped in her sinking car after accidentally driving off a boat slip into a canal.

Officer Dennis Castro was on road patrol when the call for help came. He was the first to arrive on scene at a marina at 728 Casa Loma Blvd.

As he drove down to the marina in the dark and pouring rain about 9 p.m., he searched for a passerby to flag him down. There was none. So he kept driving until the end, when he finally heard a man screaming for help.

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That’s when he saw the back end of the Jeep Grand Cherokee sticking out of the water which was about 12 feet to 15 feet deep. He tossed off his gun belt. Then Castro jumped in. The Jeep’s headlights showed him where he needed to be. He pulled on the door, but it wouldn’t open.

He came up for air, went back down and tried again.

Five more officers quickly arrived. The headlights died out. The car was moving because of the water.

Someone tossed flashlight. He went again.

“There was no giving up. None of us were giving up,” he said.

Eventually, the him a underwater crew was able to get the back open after breaking a

A firefighter with dive gear brought the woman out of the car.

The woman, identified as Lola-Anne Thompson, 36, died from her injuries.

Castro said the suspected reason is an accident, that she made a wrong turn before going over a curb and plunging into the water.

“It’s a horrible situation,” said Castro, a 12-year veteran of the agency, who spent 15 minutes in the water. “We all wish the outcome had been a lot different.” door window.